Abraham weiss



June 9, 1925. 1,541,543

A. WEISS ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed May 27, 1924 'L J avweutoz w 40 6111mm,

Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES ABRAHAM WEISS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR- VEHICLES.

Application filed May 27, 1924.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM WEISS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 623,- 080, filed March 6, 1923. This invention relates to taximeter vehicles having flag controlled registers and particularly to attachments for controlling the operation'thereof.

The object of this invention is to provide automatic means whereby, when the passenger compartment is occupied, while the driver has failed to lower the flag, the motor will operate only up to a certain limited speed on reaching. which it will be rendered inoperative either by the shortcircuiting of the ignition system thereof or in other suitable manner.

Another object is to provide a speed controlled electric switch in combination with electric motor controlling means, whereby the speed of the vehicle will be automatically controlled.

A further object is to provide an electric switch, which can be applied to a passenger seat of any existing construction.

With these objects in view, my invention consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts, as will be hereinafter specified.

One embodiment of m invention 1s illustrated in the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 showing a diagrammatic sectional view of a taximeter vehicle equipped'with my new device; Fig. 2 a cross sectional view of the flag controlled register showing the flag swltch; Fig. 3 a section through a seat of the vehicle equipped with an electric switch and Fig. 4 a diagrammatic view of a modificatlon of a speed controlled electric switch.

In the drawing V denotes the vehicle, T the taximeter or register controlled by the usual flag F, P the passengercompartment, S the passenger seat, E the engine or motor and M the ignition system, such as a magneto or the like.

The seat S, which may be of the ordinary construction is provided with an electric switch 10, 11 of which 11 is a contact piece suitably fixed and sealed below the bottom of the seat and 10 is a movable contact Serial No. 716,094.

- piece carried by one armof a double armed lever 12 fulcrumed at 13 below the seat. The other arm has attached to it a wire 14 or other flexible means, which is passed through and connected to the seat by a button 1-5 or the like, so that when the seat is not depressed, the wire 14 will be taut. The lever is actuated by a spring 16, which when the wire 14 is relaxed on the depression of the seat when occupied will swing said lever so as to bring the contact piece 11 into contact with the contact piece 10 and close the switch.

The register T is provided with a flag controlled electric switch consisting of a contact piece 17 formed on the inner end of the flag handle F and a stationary contact piece 18.

This switch, which also is suitably sealed to be inaccessible, is adapted to be closed, when the flag handle is in vacant position. Suitably geared to a rotary part of the driving mechanism, as the crank shaft of the motor, is a suitable regulator, for instance, a centrifugally acting governor 19 of well known construction. This governor is adapted to operate another electric switch of which the movable contact piece 20 is connected to the centrifugally operated arms 19 of said governor and the stationary contact piece 21 is formed by a bell crank shaped member resiliently supported on a stationary part of the vehicle, as at 21. The governor and 'its switch are adapted to be ls)il1itably enclosed and sealed to be inaccessi- The electric connections are as follows Contact piece=11 of the seat switch is grounded by wire a at 5. Contact piece 10 is connected by wire 0 to contact piece 21 of the governor controlled switch, whose other contact piece 20 is connected by wire (1 to the stationary contact piece 18 of the flag controlled switch. The other contact piece 17 of the latter is connected by wire 0 to the electric ignition system M.

The mode of operation is as follows Suppose the passenger compartment P is occupied and the seat S depressed, while the flan is left in vacant position. The two switches 10, 11 and 17, 18 are closed, while the switch 20, 21 controlled by the governor 19 is open, when the vehicle is at rest. When the driver attempts to operate the vehicle with the passenger compartment occupied and the flag switch in vacant position, the switch 20, 21 will close as soon as a certain speed is reached, thereby groundin or shortcircuiting the electric circuit 0 the magneto M.

Itvwill thus be seen that the driver, when not lowering the fiag, while the passenger compartment is occupied, will not be able to drive the vehicle with any speed, exceptthat limited by the governor controlled switch 20, 21, which may be very slow or just suificient to keep the motor running when necessary, as for instance in cold weather, when he himself occupies the passenger compartment.

After setting the flag into occupied position, the flag controlled switch is opened, so that the closing of the governor switch will have no eliect on the motor. This is also true, when the passenger compartment is not occupied and the seat switch 10, 11 open.

The governor controlled switch may be utilized on motor vehicles merely for the control of the speed independently of taximeter and seat switches in order to .force drivers of motor vehicles to observe the speed limit prescribed by traffic regulations.

Thus one contact 21* of the governor controlled switch may be grounded, as at f, and the other 20 carried by the centrifugally actuated arms 19'. of the governor 19 may be connected by wire 9 to the magneto M or other electric motor controlling device. One of the contact pieces 20, 21 may made adjustable relatively to the other in order to enable the speed limit to be changed according to difl'erent trafiic regulations.

This speed control through a governor may be incorporated in or connected with a speedometer or be used independently.

It is, of course, understood that other means instead of a governor controlled switch may be used to afiect the operation of the vehicle, when reaching a certain speed, and that other changes may be made with out departing from the principle of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to limit myself to the details described and shown.

What I claim is 1. In a motor vehicle having a fare register and an electric motor controlling sys- I term, a switch controlled by the occupant of the passenger compartment, a switch controlled by the setting of said register, a speed controlled governor and a switch controlledby said-governor, said switches being included in the circuit of the motor controlling system, such that when the passenger compartment of the vehicle is occupied, while the register is not set for occupancy, .the motor of the vehicle will be affected on reaching a speed limited by the closure of the governor controlled switch.

2. In a motor vehicle having a fare register and an electric motor controlling system, a switch controlled by the occupant of its passenger compartment and of which one contact piece is grounded, a switch controlled by the setting of the fare register, a speed controlled governor and a switch controlled by the latter, said switches being included in the circuit of said motor controlling system, such that when the vehicle is driven with its passenger compartment occupied, while the fare register is not setfor occupancy, the motor will be affected at the moment the governor controlled switch is closed at a certain speed limit.

3. In a motor vehicle having a flag controlled fare register and an electric motor controlling system, a switch controlled by the occupant of the assenger compartment a switch controlled y the flag of said reg ister and which when said flag is in vacant position is closed, a speed controlled gov ernor, and a switch controlled by said governor, said switches being included in the circuit of said motor controlling system such that when the vehicle is driven with its passenger com artment occupied and the flag in vacant position, the circuit of said motor controlling system will be shortcir cuited at the moment the overnor controlled switch is closed at a certain speed limit.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABRAHAM WEISS. Witnesses MAX D. OBDMANN, J osnrn T. MCMAHON. 

